Date:         Fri, 27 Dec 1996 15:37:04 -0800 (PST)
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@vanagon.com>
From:         bayer@sybase.com (David Bayer)
Subject:      Re: '85 Won't start --update

> I just had the same problem with my van again. It would turn over just
> fine, but wouldn't catch.
> 
> I checked it out looking for anythign obvious...nothing. I checked to see
> if there was any spark, and there was.

	I had a very similar problem on the drive up to Seattle from
California a couple days back and then a few times up here (a fwe times in
the parking lot and a few on the way home from that parking lot).
The van would be running then it would just die and it wouldn't restart
for a couple minutes. What I found really odd was the tach would plumet to
zero while I head the engine still kind of whirring in the back of the 87
syncro. This has happened when the engine is cold and hot, when it is
raining and dry now, at idle and with the accelerator depressed.

	In each case, we got it started after 1 to 15 minutes. I pulled
the connector off the brain and went through all the tests in the end
of the digifant fuel system section in the Bentley (it has a table for
testing the components). All tests were within the limits stated in the
manual except the throttle switch does not close in the idle position (I
am going to adjust it after I write this). One thing that was a little 
strange was the coolant temp sender had about 500 ohms more resistance than
the air temp sender at ~40F, both are within the curves of the graph in the
Bentley though. Also, I know the plastic plug on the Hall sender plate has
snapped has well, but I couldn't get it to ground in anyway of the ways
I played with it (the wires in the sender appear to be fine, the plastic
elbow just broke right after the elbow, but those are 12 volt connections
and the wires are still held in place, just exposed to the light of my
flashlight).

	I just replaced plugs, wires, cap and rotor, though it ran over
600 miles without trouble through driving rain and snow up here after the
first time it died... Could the throttle switch problem be causing the
engine to just die even when I have the accelerator pedal depressed? I
am planning on taking the syncro through snowy and somewhat remote areas
on the way back to California and would like to get this fixed so that I
feel comfortable that the van is running ok...
 
thanks in advance

dave